The Australian Communications and Media Authority has issued a AU$50,172 infringement notice as part of its crackdown on spam-unsubscribing rules.
Noah Rose, trading as BetDeluxe, has been sanctioned by the ACMA for sending over 104,000 SMS messages without an unsubscribe function.
More than 820,000 SMS messages that did not contain the sender’s contact details were also sent by the operator.
The ACMA says the messages, sent between December 2021 and February 2022, advertised a “cheeky punt” and “VIP service” on sports and racing, while offering promoted bonus bets and money-back offers.
ACMA chair, Nerida O’Loughlin, said the agency received a “significant” number of complaints.
She added: “Any spam can be annoying, but when gambling is involved the risk of financial and emotional harm can be pronounced, so it’s important that wagering operators take compliance very seriously.”
The ACMA has accepted a two-year court-enforcable undertaking from BetDeluxe to improve its e-marketing services. The operator must also give regular compliance reports to the ACMA and provide training to its staff.
